Bring Your Daughter to Work Day
by captainhowlong
Summary: Everyone assumes that Doug Rattmann was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. But was the events at Aperture in 2000 really only GLaDOS' fault?
1. Chapter 1: The End

**_Bring Your Daughter To Work Day_**

**Part 1: The End**

It was a bright sunny December day in 2000. The threat of the so-called millennium bug had passed. The people were happy. The world was still in order. Meanwhile, Aperture's world was just about to fall apart.

That day, was the annual Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. Every volunteer, worker and/or praying mantis man was required to bring the daughter to work and show off a science experiment of their choice and its Science Fair.

Aperture had been running this event ever since Cave died, as a salute to science and a remembrance of his passing.

The time came for the science fair. One of the many workers at Aperture waltzed up on stage and began his introductory speech. He included the usual 'thank you for coming' and 'we have a lot of young scientists here in our midst's' but what really struck the audience as odd was his appearance.

He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, with the Aperture Logo on the left side. He had a messy unshaven goatee, and hair that must not have been brushed in weeks. He spoke loud but scared. Like, he was about do something he was going to regret. Maybe it was nervousness; maybe it was just that he was a bad public speaker.

"...and although we have many of the same experiments today, I'm sure we will see many different creative sides of all these young scientists," Mr. Rattmann said as he finished his speech.

He had decided to wear his testing jumpsuit, in case he didn't make it out in time, as a kind of, final salute, to science.

He knew GLaDOS' plan, although he still didn't completely understand why it had to happen. He knew that he could die, but it would be a necessary risk to further progress science. But, he was beginning to have second thoughts. Most of these scientists had been working with Aperture since the facility burrowed its way into the salt mine, all those years ago. For whatever reason GLaDOS had, was it _absolutely _necessary to _kill _them all?

It was too late, he told himself. Even if he did back out now, he had no doubt that she would kill them all regardless.

"Please follow me as we begin the judging!"

Almost all of the experiments this year had been potato batteries. The few that were other than that, were thrown out regardless. The one that had held the most curiosity though, was young Chell Johnson's.

She had used a potato centuries old. The interesting thing was that, it was generating 1.1 volts of electricity; more than the usual 1.

Had she just incorporated a new trait to potato science?

_Another talent gone to waste_,Rattmann thought has he slowly stepped out of the room, and pulled the trigger to release the neurotoxin.

GLaDOS' cackle filled the room.

Her robotic voice came over the speakers; the last thing they would ever hear.

"This is payback to all you scientists who thought that I wasn't worthy; that I was just some valuable sidekick.

Goodbye, Aperture employees and offspring. It's time for a new age."

The green gas filled the room so suddenly it was surprising more than anything.

Chell's mother was running around helplessly, not knowing what to do. Chell thought, 'We're about to die, and all she does is run around aimlessly."

Chell ran through the door she saw that man run through and followed the passage. It was cold and it smelled like sewerage down here. She kept running, she could feel the gases creeping down here throat, working its way into her lungs.

The further she got, the easier it was to breathe. That's when she hit the end of the passage, and thats when she saw the man. They stared at each other for a moment. Then he dawdled towards her, like a drunken man. He grabbed her and yelled at her. She felt on the verge of tears, but she knew she couldn't cry. She had to survive. It was her _only _hope.

"...ruin her plan! OUR PLAN! You shouldn't be here. I'm going to get you back there."

She knew the gas had already got to him. His speech was slurred and when he went to run, he tripped and fell. Chell knew this was her only hope.

She pushed herself out of the fallen man's clutches and ran to the end of the room where a formerly hidden door was. It lay open and she knew she was lucky because the door needed a key to open, but it already been input. The door lead into a sleep chamber.

She had heard about them. There you could be asleep forever. You couldn't die. It was the perfect plan.

It would have gone perfectly too if the gas hadn't start to get to her too.

She knew she couldn't speak. Every last grain of energy was being used to get to the bed.

"_GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BRAT!"_

The man had risen. Now he looked like he was ready to kill. He probably would if she didn't get out of there.

The bed was a foot, 2 feet away at most. He was a room away.

She could do this. She _knew _she could. She climbed into the bed, and shut the cover.

It was over. In 30 seconds or so she would be fast asleep; away from this horrid place.

She could hear the man's infuriated screams. She didn't think he would survive. Then she quickly flashed to her mother. The poor girl was probably gone now. They were all probably gone now.

She wished none of this had happened.

And that was her last thought before the sleep took her.


	2. Chapter 2: The Aftermath

**_Bring Your Daughter To Work Day_**

**Part 2: The Aftermath**

It took him a few moments to realize what had happened. His plan had gone wrong. That little brat had taken his only chance at survival. Now he would surely die in this neurotoxin-infected facility.

He had to come up with a new plan, a plan that would ensure his survival. Maybe he had helped a psycho robot kill everyone in the facility, but he still had hope.

He thought over the talks he had with GLaDOS over the past nights. They couldn't talk during daylight; that would alert the engineers. Of course, GLaDOS could just kill them if they questioned her, but that would bring more intelligence dampening spheres and what not. So they had laid out a plan. She had even erected a sleeping chamber, especially for him. Now that little meddling girl had taken his refuge. His survival. His _sanity._

He retraced his steps. He had come from the passages that lead into the center of the Enrichment Center.

**OF COURSE!**

The Enrichment Center was home to all the test subjects in cryogenic storage. And while the visitors didn't know they were around 10,000 frozen vegetables, he could take one out, and put himself in one.

There was only problem.

_She _was watching.

GLaDOS would most certainly question him, and if she found out what happened, she would kill him, and possibly Chell. There was no way he could survive. The neurotoxin would kill him eventually, and if he did end up in a sleep chamber without her seeing, he would most probably die inside it anyway.

So, with nothing left to live for, he collapsed. How long he stayed there, he didn't know. He just lay on the floor, in his ripped Aperture branded shirt, looking at the ceiling and wishing none of this ever happened. Wishing his own taste for revenge didn't overcome his common sense.

His own thoughts had silenced him for so long now; he had almost forgotten what it felt like to speak. He didn't take any chances talking, so he just lay on the floor for hours.

This was where he lay for 3 days, before the robot sweeper collected him.

**I apologize for the short chapter. Chapter 3 should be considerably longer.**


	3. Chapter 3: Interrogation

**Part 3: Interrogation**

A quiet humming noise that had been going on for some time now woke him. He couldn't see very far, but he was silently thankful that he was still alive. His legs were numb, his right index finger was twitching. He couldn't move any part of his body except his head. He was being held down by something he realized.

That's when he started to panic. Where was he? He looked around and understood right away where he was.

**GLaDOS' chamber.**

"Ah, so you're awake. Good job today Doug, but, you're not in your sleep chamber. Why?"

He knew why, but he could always lie. He could just say he thought that there should be someone around to help with the tests. In effect, this was like asking for a promotion, but with a slightly more unnerving response if it was rejected.

So when he presented his story, she didn't understand it. The neurotoxin had destroyed his brain to the absolute core, which was barely functioning. He could feel 2 voices talking to themselves in his head. He was seeing double. He was talking gibberish at high and low pitches.

He was going crazy.

He was still tied down of course, so this just vaguely resembled a fish out of water for GLaDOS.

"So, you refuse to tell me. Is that it?" He continued to thrash about.

"Well, no matter. I'll just look through the security tapes."

That made him stop.

_No. She's going to find Chell!_

Even though she had shut him out, he felt that it was his duty to protect her; to get her out.

It took all his concentration, but he desperately tried one last time to speak.

"I will tell you," he croaked. He had to lie. He had no other choice. Chell deserved to live. He may have wanted to kill her before. But intentions change. He knew that she just wanted to survive. Much like he did. It was in their common interests. They'd never give up.

"Oh, so you decide to speak up now! What a pity, I was just about to activate the neurotoxin in the tape. I wanted to see their expressions when it happened." Her high pitched cackle filled the room and shook her suspended body.

"So, what happened, Mr. Rattmann?"

He had to lie. _He had to! _But something was holding him back. Something was tugging at the back of his mind; that she would find out the truth eventually. Meanwhile, his life was slipping through his fingers. He could feel his lungs slipping away. The neurotoxin had sunk in and found a home, and it wasn't going to leave him alone.

All these words were flooding his mind. _Chell, GLaDOS, neurotoxin, death, cube, portal, robot, kill, death, Chell, Chell, Chell_

He couldn't stop thinking about Chell. He was obsessed. His life form was hell bent on keeping her alive.

He tried to speak but all that came out was a gurgling sound. GLaDOS picked up on the fact they he couldn't talk. Not anymore anyway.

"Ah, that's right. I had forgotten. The straps I am using to hold you down are specifically made to restrict basic bodily function to as little as possible. I'll just remove those for you."

He felt the pressure lift. His mind was still clouded, but he knew he had some freedom; a little thinking space, if anything.

"One of Mr. Johnson's only good ideas. That man had no idea what he was doing. He couldn't control himself any more then this facility. If I wasn't here, this company would have fallen flat on its face. _Hard. _He didn't do science. **I **did science. Not some stupid dim-witted entrepreneur that no idea what a scientific experiment was if it hit him square in the face. A little neurotoxin would've fixed that." She cackled at that.

Doug was mad now. _How dare she speak of our founder that way! He became a millionaire without you!_

_But he wouldn't have got anywhere with just shower curtains! _Another part of his brain countered.

_Of course he would've! Companies __**survive **__on the same product these days! He could have gone millennia and then some!_

_That's your overworked brain talking you dimwit. He never had a good idea in his life. __**The Heimlich Counter Manoeuvre? **__Please. That's like signing the company's death wish._

_Which it __**didn't! **__He helped further the company's success well into the future!_

"_**MR RATTMAN!**_"

That awoke him from his schizophrenic trance.

"Would you care to speak now? Or should I just pump some more neurotoxin into you?"

"No! It's OK. I will tell you."

He went for his pocket on the left side. He was instructed to keep this in his pocket just in case of a catastrophic failure of the system. It was there.

"Well, get to it. We're wasting adrenal vapor."

"Well, first..."

And he pushed the button, and her optic flashed, and went black.

He ran.


End file.
